Automatic pressure release gauge



March 7, 1933.

L. J. WILCOX 1,900,533

AUTOMATIC PRESSURE RELEASE GAUGE Filed June 10, 1931 g INVENTOR LNJ. WiLnux I Patented Mar. 7, 1933 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application filed June 10, 1931. Serial No. 543,292.

The principal object of my invention is ascertain if desirable pressure has been to provide a novel pressure gauge for. the reached. Often a test will reveal a dangercontrol of air pressures inside containers ously excess amount of pressure. I have such as automotive vehicle tires,'that elimiovercomesuch objections by providing an nates the possibility of over-inflation when adjustable automatic pressure releasing filling or refilling the tires. gauge for the outlet ends of air pressure More specifically, the object of this invensupply tubes. tion is to provide a device that is attachable Referring to the drawlng, I have used the to the end of an air supply tube and capable numeral 10 to designate the body and base of releasing the air pressure at the stem of portion of the'invention. This body per 80 the tire when the tire is properly inflated. tion 10 is of hollow construction and has a A further object of my invention is to threaded inlet stem 11 at its top, as shown in provide an automatic pressure release gauge Fig. 1.. This hollow inlet stem 11 is defor the ends of air supply tubes that may be signed to extend into the outlet end of a flexdesired predetermined pressure. a source of air under pressure.

A still further object of this invention is The hose 12 may be tightly secured'on the to provide an automatic pressure release stem'll by any suitable means such as a gauge that is economical in manufactureand metallic collar'l3. The numeral 14 desigdurable in use. j nates a hollow downwardly extending stem .These and other objects will be apparent formed at the center of the fiat bottom of to those skilled in the art. r the body member 10 and communicating My invention consists inthe construction, with the inside of that member. The nuarrangement and combination of thevarious meral 15 designates a plurality of evenly parts of the device, whereby the objects conspaced apart air escape ports in the bottom templated are attained as hereinaftermore of the body 10 and arranged around the. fully set forth, pointed outin my claims and stem 14, as shown in Fig. 4:. 'Slidably illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in mounted on the stem 14: is the port opening which: 7 and closing washer 16. Secured by suitable Fig.1 is an enlarged side View of my commeans such as glue or the like on the top plete invention not in use. of this washer 16 is a resilient gasket 17 Fig. 2 is an enlarged side View of the decapable of engaging and closing the ports 15 Vice in use and in the act of releasing exwhen the washer 16 is moved to its extreme 35 cessive and undesirable pressure at the top upward ov m nt on th t 14;, Thr adof a tire stern. ed on the lower end portion of the stem 14 F 1g-.3 is a side vlew of the openlng and is a nut 18 having an upwardly extending closing washer of the invention. boss 19 at its center similar to the down- Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the base portion wardly extending boss 20 at the center por- 40 of the invention and shows the air escape ti n of th wa her 16. The numeral 21 holes. designates a coil spring embracing the stem Fig. 5 is a side vlew of the baseportlon 1 1, having its lower end engaging the top Of llllQiIlVQIltiOIl With all movable parts reurface of the 1111i, 18 and its upper end e11- moved. 7 j gaging the lower face of the washer 16.

45 There are many types of pressure gauges By this arrangement, the gasket 17 will now on the market for testing the pressure yieldingly be held for closing the ports 15 in tires. These gauges, however, are used at all normal times. i independently for testing the pressure at T0 inflate a tire or container it is merely, different times. When inflating a tire it is necessary to place the lower end of the stem as necessary to remove the air supply tube 14 in the usual manner onto the inlet end of easily and quickly adjusted to actuate at any ible hose 12'which is in communication with 65 from the valve barrel from time to time to theusual valve barrel or stem 22 which communicates with the inside of the tire or container. The projection 23 inside the lower end portion of the stem 14, as shown by cutaway portion in Fig. 2, depresses the valve stem 24 in the valve barrel 22, thereby permitting air from the air supply hose 12 to pass into the body 10, thence into the stem 14 and then into the valve barrel 22, from which it passes on into the tire or container.

Naturally, 22 is in an open condition, communication will exist between the inside of the container or tire and the inside of the body member 10. As the pressure increases inside the tire or container, this pressure will to a like extent influence the pressure inside the body member 10. When this pressure inside the body member 10 becomes sufficiently great it will pass through the escape ports 15 by forcing the washer 16 downwardly against the tension of the coil spring 21. The pressure inside the member 10, sufficient to move the washer 16 downwardly, will be proportional to the tension of the spring 21, which is regulated by rotating the nut 18. If a greater amount of pressure is desired before the escape ports 15 are inan open condition the nut 18 should be rotated upwardly onto the stem 14, thereby compressing and increasing the tension of the spring 21. To rotate the nut 18 to the left and downward- 1y onthe stem 14 will permitthe coil spring 21 to expand and more lightly hold the washer 16 in an elevated condition for enclosing the ports 15, as shown in Fig. 1. With the air escape ports 15in an open condition, as shown in Fig.2, no further air will be forced into the valve barrel or stem 22, but will escape through the ports 15.

This escaping of the air through the ports 15 will produce an audible sound, which will warn the operator that suflicient air has passed into the tire or container to properly inflate it and at that time he should remove the member 14 in the usual manner from the member 22.

Naturally, the various distances that the nut 18 is from the member 10 will designate the various pressures required to open the air escape ports 15. To accurately read this position of the nut 18 relative to the member 10 I have provided a pointer bar 25 which is secured to the nut 18 and extends upwardly to read on a scale 26 on the side of the member 10, as shown in Fig. 1. p

This scale 26 may represent in figures, the

pressure in pounds per square inch necessary to move the Washer 16 open the ports 15. By this construction it is merely necessary to rotate the nut 18 to a position where the pointer 25 reads on the pressure desired to be had in the tire or container. When this desired pressure is reached in the tire or container the ports 15 will be opened and it will be'impossible downwardly and undesirable engagement with as the usual valve in the barrel 7 to force more air into the tire or container.

The bosses 19 and 20 properly extend into the ends of the'spring 21 and hold it from the threaded portion of the stem 14 when it is being actuated. As soon as the invention is removedfrom the barrel 22 the valve inside the same will, as is well known, close the the barrel 22 and prevent any escape of air from the tire or container.

Although I have designated my invention as particularly adapted to the inflating of automotive vehicle tires, it may be used to equal advantage in many other situations.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have provided an automaticpressure release gauge that is easy and quick of adjustment and accurate in operation.

If itis desired to permanently leave the invention" on the valve barrel 22, the pres-J sure valve in the barrel should be removed and threaded into the member 11 of the invention. When the device is used in this manner it will automatically relieve any excess amount of pressure in the vehicle tires caused by temperature expansion while the vehicle is in motion. It will also continue to function in the preventing of an excess amount of air pressure to be placed in the tire when being inflated.

Some changes may bemade in the construction and arrangement of my improved automatic pressure release gauge without departing from the real spirit and'purposeof my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim: r

1. In a device of the class described, a hollow member having an opening and a flat bottom flush with its side walls, a hollow stem secured to the center of said bottom and communicating with the inside of said hollow member, said stem having an outer end portion;v said bottom having a plurality of air escape ports arranged around said stem, a washer slidably mounted on said stem. a resilient member on said washer capable of closing said ports when said washer is moved toward said hollow member, a nut threaded onto the outer end portionof said stem, and a coil spring embracing said stem having one end engaging said washer and its otlier end engaging said nut.

2. In a device of the class described, a hollow member having an opening and a'fiat bottom flush with itsv side walls, a hollow stem secured to the center of said bottom and communicating with the inside of said hollow member, said stemhaving an outer end portion; said bottom having a plurality of air escape ports arranged around said stem, awasher slidably mounted on said stem, a resilient member on sald Washer capable of closing said portsv when said washer is moved toward said hollow member, a nut thr eaded onto the outer end portion of said stem, a coil spring embracing said stem having one end engaging sald Washer and its other end engaging, sald nut, 1nd1c1a on sald hol low member, and a pointer secured to said nut and reading on said indicia.

' LELAND JAY WILCOX. 

